give it a rest!

So ... is anyone actually managing to get a break over the festive season? Do businesses slow down anymore?

I've just said thanks but no thanks to some M&A work. I spent between last Christmas and new year waiting for the Ofcom decision on the ntl/Telewest merger, in between trying to unpack boxes in my new house. It finally came through on the afternoon of Friday 30th December - just when I'd decided it was probably safe to leave the house for an hour. Cue flurry of calls on the mobile saying "Sue! Quick! Where are you?!". 

This year I'm having a break.

A quick look on BBC Business on line reveals NASDAQ making a hostile takeover bid for the London Stock Exchange, the Bank of America 'eyeing Barclays', and two steel firms doing battle over who gets their mitts on Corus. Sounds like some of our comms colleagues will be having a busy old time over Christmas, and a fair few employees will be feeling a bit uncertain about what the new year will bring.

I remember when people used to bring games in on the last working day before Christmas and slope off down the pub at lunchtime, never to return til New Year. Oh for the good old days ...

Sue

PS  Now he's safely installed 'down under', Alex Manchester has started an Oz blog! It's an entertaining, non-work related read. And at least the posts about nasty poisonous things will keep you from getting depressed about the ones about glorious sunshine and barbies on the beach ...

Comments

[Emma Ridgeon]

Well, I can safely say things are not slowing down for us. We are launching a new integrated intranet gateway, organising a senior management event on 20th December (I know, I know) and rolling out a group-wide ethics programme - all before Christmas! It's funny how there's so often such a big push to get communications programmes delivered by the end of the year, when most people have switched off long before then. Sadly we won't be bringing our toys in on the last day or leaving at lunch time, but we will be forcing down a non-denominational mince-pie or two... Emma. (There you go Sue, another female blogger)